Irish hope to rebound against Hoyas

-Notre Dame's 43-game home winning streak is on the line.

-Notre Dame's 43-game home winning streak is on the line.

January 05, 2009|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- One by one for the last two-plus winters, 14 Big East schools have ventured to northern Indiana for college basketball games. Some arrived by air, others by bus, but all departed in similar ways -- with a loss. Owners of the nation's longest home-court win streak (43 games), No. 7 Notre Dame also has won 18 straight conference contests. For the first time in the run, No. 11 Georgetown (10-2 overall, 1-1 Big East) visits the Joyce Center tonight (7 p.m., ESPN). Both squads are scrambling to keep from slipping to 1-2 following weekend losses. Georgetown proved last week what a wild league ride this will be with a victory at No. 2 Connecticut. The Hoyas then lost their home opener Saturday to No. 3 Pittsburgh. Georgetown has won five in a row and six of the last seven against Notre Dame (10-3, 1-1). This is the Hoyas' first visit to South Bend since a double-overtime victory on Jan. 24, 2006. For the Irish, the start of league play has been bewildering. Notre Dame opened with a road win on New Year's Eve at DePaul, but allowed the Blue Demons to score 82 points on a variety of easy looks in the lane. That should have served as a red flag for what was to come Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Out-worked by a young but spirited St. John's team picked in preseason by conference coaches to finish 14th, the Irish were beaten on the boards, 41-30. They never could get that one key defensive stop or rebound when needed. "We have to rebound as a team more than any team in this league," said coach Mike Brey, "or we really get hurt." Hurt because one area where the Irish are sub-par among their Big East brethren is something no amount of film study or practice reps will fix. The Irish don't have a roster loaded with long and lanky guys with ridiculous vertical leaps and quick-twitch reactions. They know well why they have struggled in losses to Ohio State and St. John's. "It's lack of athleticism," said senior captain Kyle McAlarney. "When we don't focus and box out every single time, it's very easy for guys to jump right over us because we don't have the athletic ability to make up for that. "We need to focus every single play." Brey likes his club's position against a crusher conference slate because of his team's focus, maturity and resiliency. While running off to a 14-4 league record last year, the Irish never lost consecutive conference contests. Nobody believed Notre Dame would sail through league play unscathed this season, but few fathomed that it would be faced with dodging a league losing streak three games in. The Irish returned to practice Sunday, but much of the work required heading into tonight may not occur between the baselines, but between the ears. "How you bounce back is really going to be a key," Brey said. "The athletic ability isn't getting any less. We do have to take more responsibility on block-outs and attention to detail. "It's all mental now." Team rebounding and toughness again will be tested tonight by Georgetown. Freshman center Greg Monroe can score from various spots on the floor, as can gifted forward DaJuan Summers. Guards Austin Freeman, Jessie Sapp and Chris Wright are the last backcourt trio the Irish want to see now because of their size and strength and physical ability around the basket. The Hoyas entered weekend play ranked second in the league in team defense (56.3 ppg.) and first in field-goal percentage defense (34.3 percent). That likely means another grind-it-out game for the Irish, who often struggle to play in a way that requires them to work on each end. "It's going to be a hard, hard, tough Big East game," said Irish guard Tory Jackson. "We've got a lot to bounce back off. The ones who usually bounce back are the great teams. "We will bounce back."Staff writer Tom Noie: tnoie@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6153